Asleep at Heaven's Gates
by broodyandcheery143
Summary: Set post-Funk: Austin Jameson wants revenge for all the times he has been bullied. What happens when he comes to school with a gun and a plan? What happens when the school goes on lockdown and Quinns water breaks? No one can leave which means Quinns stuck
1. Chapter 1

**The day is finally here! Im finally publishing this story. I know some of you all have been waiting weeks (even months) for me to publish this and i want to thank you all for being so patient. **

**This story is mostly finished and it will have 8 to 9 chapters. I will (hopefully) be finishing the last two or so chapters over Thanksgiving Break, so lets hope that gets done. I will be posting a new chapter ever 3 to 5 days depending on the number of reviews i get. If i get a lot of reviews it will be 3 days, and less it will be 5. **

**Im extremely proud of this story and it might even be one of my favorites I've written so i hope you enjoy it as much as i do. Please, please leave a review if you read this. You can leave one on here or my tumblr (links on my profile page). You can always go there to keep up with this and my other stories and if you have one drop in and say hi because i love talking to my followers :) So enjoy this first chapter and remember to review!**

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Chapter One

Austin Jameson was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep any longer. He looked at his clock; it read 6:43 which meant his alarm would go off in two minutes and he would have to get ready for school. A feeling of excitement and anxiety shot through his body. This is the day he had been waiting and planning for for months now. He had every detail down to a tee, but there was still that feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him things may not work out the exact way he had planned them.

He went over the plan one more time in his head. He smiled as he pictured the faces of the men who had made his life miserable for so many years. He could picture them frightened and begging for forgiveness at his feet, but he would not give it to them. Today would be the day he got revenge.

He thought back to the day all this started.

_It was a Saturday night and Austin was sitting at home with nothing to do…shocker. It was the beginning of his sophomore year and still no one invited him to hang out on the weekends, or ever for that matter. He was lying on his bed, listening to his iPod when he began to hear screams coming from down the hall. Austin sighed as he turned the volume up but even at full blast he couldn't drown out the sounds of his mom and step-dad, both drunk and yelling at each other._

_Austin rolled his eyes, 'what else is new?' he thought as he got up from his bed. He decided going for a walk would be the only way to get away from all the chaos. He left his bedroom and continued down the hall until he got to the living room, where the fight was happening. _

"_Why don't you get off your lazy ass and find a job!" he heard his mom yell. He let out another sigh before leaving through the front door, neither parent even noticing he entered the room at all. From the front of the house he could still hear his parents' yelling and he couldn't help but wonder why his neighbors never complained. _

_He decided to take his usual route (unfortunately this happened a lot). He walked and walked and walked until he was out of his shithole of a neighborhood and in a richer, more upper class neighborhood. He decided to walk a little further, knowing if he turned around in about ten minutes both parents would be passed out on the couch by the time he got home._

_He was about to turn around when he saw someone was having a party. He recognized a lot of the cars from school, which meant it was a high school party he hadn't been invited too…shocker again. He looked at the house and recognized it as Quinn Fabray's. He remembered hearing the kid in front of him in geometry talking about it. Apparently her parents went out of town for Labor Day weekend every year and Quinn would always through a beginning of the school year party while they were away. _

_He sighed. He had had a crush on Quinn since the first grade. She had the most beautiful blonde hair that went perfectly with her pale skin. He felt as if he could get lost in her hazel eyes for hours. But all that didn't matter because she didn't even know he existed. Why would she? She was head cheerleader, president of the celibacy club, and all around social butterfly and he was just white trash. The only class they had together was homeroom; she was in all honors classes and he was one class away from being in special ed. _

_He knew it was creepy but sometimes at lunch while he was sitting by himself he would watch Quinn, surrounded by a group of cheerleaders and football players, eat and laugh and be happy; all the things that never happened to him. He always cringed when he saw Finn Hudson, her quarterback boyfriend, lean in for a kiss or a hug. She deserved better than him, Austin always thought. And if he was being honest with himself he knew she deserved better than him, too._

_Austin was so deep in thought about Quinn that he didn't hear the sound of drunken footsteps on pavement making their way to where he was standing._

"_Well, well, well, what do we have here?" came an all too familiar voice, breaking him from his thoughts. He looked up to see four large, muscular figures standing in front of him, arms crossed over their bulky chests. He began to slowly back away but soon one of them had grabbed his arm, keeping him from going anywhere._

"_You trying to crash my girlfriend's party?" Finn, Quinn's boyfriend asked. Austin could smell the alcohol in Finn's breath and flinched. He knew when Finn was sober he would stay out of the bullying, usually just sit back and watch but Austin knew from personal experience that alcohol changed Finn and made him more violent and aggressive. _

_Austin began to feverishly shake his head. "N…No I was just taking a walk," he stammered. In school these boys made his life miserable, throwing slushies at him and sticking his head in the toilet, and they were sober then. Austin knew they were ten times worse when they were drunk and he began to shake._

"_Good excuse," Finn's best friend, Noah "Puck" Puckerman said rolling his eyes. "I never would have thought of that one." He stepped closer to Austin who held his breath; he knew what was about to happen._

_He watched as the two other boys, Dave Karaofsky and Nathan Azimio, joined Puck. Before he knew it Finn had grabbed his other arm and was now behind him, holding his arms behind his back so he couldn't move. He closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for the blows that were inevitably coming._

_The first punch came from Puck and it hit him square in the jaw. Austin did his best not to scream out in pain, knowing that would just make everything worse._

_Next it was Karofsky's turn, and he hit him in his left eye. Austin winced in pain. Soon he felt Azimio hit him in the middle of his stomach and he lost his breath for a minute. Another kick to the groin came when it finally came back and Austin yelled out in pain, Finn allowing him to fall to the ground. He was kicked at least ten more times; he could feel blood gushing out of almost every inch of his body. _

_After a few more laughs and kicks Austin felt like he wanted to die. Maybe they would just kick him to death and put him out of his misery. It took all his power not to start crying then and there. _

"_Come on man, let's get back to the party," he heard Finn say, "If I don't get back soon Quinn's going to come looking for me."_

"_Yea whatever, this loser isn't any fun anyway," Puck said before giving Austin one more kick in the rib. He heard the four of them walk back towards the house, laughing at his weakness._

_Austin lied on the ground, in pain, for what seemed like hours but was really only minutes. He knew he couldn't lie there any longer because soon the party would be over and someone would find him and probably beat his sorry ass some more._

_He tried to get up but was soon met by an almost unbearable pain in his side. He looked down at his shirt to see it was covered in his own crimson blood. When he finally stood up all the way he practically fell over when he felt the pain shoot up his legs. He had never been in so much pain in his life and this wasn't even the first time he had been beaten up._

_Austin really wasn't sure how but somehow he managed to walk the three miles from Quinn's house to his own. He had pretty much blacked out from the pain the whole way and it was a miracle he even remembered where his house was._

_When he got inside his house, he was not one bit surprised to see both his parents were passed out in the living room. He managed to make it to his bedroom before gently lying himself down on his bed. Whatever pain he felt before was at least doubled by his walk home. He was beginning to black out again from the pain so he forced his mind to think about something else._

_He was going to get revenge for this night and every other time they had messed with him, he promised himself. One day those four boys would be sorry they ever laid a hand on him._

Austin's thoughts were broken by the sound of his alarm clock, which he immediately turned off and continued to lie on his bed and stare at the ceiling.

After five minutes of lying there anxiously, he got up out of bed and changed into some jeans and a brown hooded sweatshirt. He brushed his teeth but didn't even bother to do anything with his matted hair. He grabbed his textbooks and put them into his backpack before bending down beneath his desk where his air vent was. He had broken it a long time ago so he would have a secret place to store all his stuff he didn't want his mom to find. He quietly opened the vent and pulled out a shoe box. He opened the box and smiled as he picked up the black, shiny object it contained. As he held it in his palm a ping of nervousness shot throughout his body but it went as quickly as it came. _Today is going to go according to plan_, he assured himself as he stood up, putting the object inside the large front pocket of his sweatshirt. He then took one last deep breath before heading out the door and to William McKinley High School.

X-X-X-X-X

"Come on Mercedes we're going to be late," Quinn Fabray called through the door to her friend. She sighed as she rubbed her gravid stomach out of habit. Quinn had been living with her friend now for almost a week. Her parents had kicked her out when she informed them of her pregnancy and she moved in with her boyfriend at the time, Finn. He then found out he wasn't the father and she was forced to go and live with the real father, Puck. Although living with Puck was not the worst thing in the world, it did nothing to improve their already rocky relationship. Mercedes Jones had noticed that Quinn was not happy living at Puck's house and came to her rescue, letting Quinn use the spare bedroom in her house. Quinn was so thankful to Mercedes to take her in during her time of need and Quinn promised she was going to do whatever it took to pay Mercedes back. She planned to give the baby up for adoption and was convinced her parents would let her move back in once that happened.

"Coming!" Mercedes answered. A second later the bathroom door opened and Mercedes joined Quinn in the hall. "Sorry girl but it takes time for me to become this hot," Mercedes said giving her friend a little smile and a wink. Quinn just rolled her eyes and giggled as the two girls grabbed their books and headed out to Mercedes' car.

On the way to school Quinn was thinking how happy she was that it was a Friday. First of all because it meant the weekend was almost here and she could catch up on her sleep and second of all because it meant she had glee first period. It was the only place where she felt she fit in. The kids in glee weren't constantly judging her or staring at her now enormous pregnant belly. She also had to admit she loved to sing and dance and let herself get lost in the music, forgetting her problems, even if it was only for an hour.

She suddenly felt some kind of weird pain in her lower back. She had been experiencing this pain randomly since she woke up but it always disappeared quickly so Quinn figured it was some kind of spasm her back was having now that she was carrying so much extra weight. She ignored the pain as Mercedes pulled into the school parking lot.

Mercedes and Quinn walked into school talking and giggling as usual. "See you in glee," Quinn said to her friend as she arrived at the door to her homeroom. She gave Mercedes a smile before opening the door and heading into the classroom. She was on her way to her seat when she accidentally bumped into a boy in her homeroom.

"Sorry," she said giving him a friendly smile and rubbing her stomach protectively. She noticed he looked a little sketchy today, his brown eyes moving around wildly as if he was thinking of too many things at once. His shaggy chocolate hair was matted and un-brushed and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Whatever," he grunted as his hand quickly went to the huge pocket on the front of his brown hoodie. Quinn gave him a curious look before continuing to her seat next to Kurt Hummel, another one of her best friends.

"He looks a little off today," Quinn commented as she nodded her head in the direction of the boy to show Kurt who she was talking about.

"If you're talking about his outfit than I agree," Kurt said as he made a face. "I mean really? A brown hoodie? That's atrocious." Quinn just laughed at her friend's bluntness, soon forgetting about the boy in the brown hoodie.

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** I know this first chapter wasn't extremely exciting, but i kind of had to give some background before i moved into the main part of the story. So leave a review and let me know what you think so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow thanks to everyone who reviewed this story! i wasnt expecting so many reviews and it made me so very happy! Also thanks to everyone who added it to alert/favorite.**

**Last chapter i forgot (as i often to do) to thank my amazing beta scarlett88, so this time i will thank her twice as much!**

**Also i wanted to point out this story is rated M. It has some graphic stuff in some chapters, just fair warning.**

**So i hope everyone enjoyes the chapter and if i get as many reviews as last time ill be updating on monday so keep them up! Enjoy :)**

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Chapter Two

Austin walked into school that day and headed straight for homeroom. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, his mind too focused on the events that were to happen that day, and before he knew it he had bumped into someone. When he turned around to see who it was, he saw it was none other than the pregnant ex-cheerleader Quinn Fabray.

"Sorry," she said giving him a smile and rubbing her outlandishly large stomach. He couldn't bear to look at her (pregnant people had always made him nervous). Even though he still thought she was beautiful (and probably always would), his crush on her had pretty much died when he found out she was pregnant because honestly that grossed him out a little. _It would happen _he thought _that the one time she actually talks to me is when I don't even like her anymore._

"Whatever," he said his hand moving to his pocket to make sure the object had not fallen out. She gave him a curious look but shrugged before continuing on to her seat and he did the same.

All during homeroom he went over the plan again and again in his head. When the bell rang he went to first period, which was biology. He sat nervously for about twenty minutes, his hands becoming more and more sweaty as the time got closer and closer. Finally the clock read 9:00 and Austin got up and asked the teacher if he could go to the bathroom. When she said yes he made his way into the hall but didn't turn to the left where the bathrooms were, instead he turned right in pursuit of Mr. Johnson's World History class.

_Showtime…._

He stood outside the door to the classroom for about two minutes, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Butterflies filled his entire stomach. _It was normal _he told himself _to be nervous about something like this. So many things could go wrong. But they won't, they can't. _

Once he felt he was calm enough he swiftly threw open the door. A whole classroom full of heads turned around to see what had just barged through the classroom door and everyone had looks of bewilderment on their faces when they saw him standing there.

"Sir I don't think you're supposed to be in here," he heard Mr. Johnson say. "Now I think you should leave before you interrupt my class anymore or else I'll be forced to give you a detention."

Austin gave him an ear-screeching laugh before reaching into his big front pocket and pulling out the black, shiny object he had been carrying. He watched as everyone in the classroom's eyes grew wide with shock, suddenly realizing what was going on. Austin smiled maliciously before walking through the rows of desks towards his first victim.

"Hey Karofsky," he smiled. "Ain't such a tough guy now are you?" He watched as Karofsky quickly shook his head back and forth. The room was completely silent as everyone watched him in astonishment.

"Please don't do this," he heard some girl sob from the back of the classroom. She had long brown hair and her face was red and wet with tears. "You don't have to do this."

"Oh I don't, don't I?" Austin said turning around to face the girl. He watched as she gulped in a huge breath when the gun in his hand turned to face her. More quiet tears streamed down her face.

"Have you ever seen a slushie thrown into my face or someone throw me into a dumpster?" he screamed at her. She flinched at the sound of his yell and guiltily began to slowly nod. "And you didn't do anything to stop them did you? You just sat back and watched it happen. You all did." The girl was crying so hard now she was barely able to breath and as Austin turned around he saw that most of the girls in the class were either petrified or also crying hysterically. He could tell the boys were trying at act tough but that most of them wanted to cry just as much as the girls.

Austin moved back over to Karofsky. All Austin could see were memories playing in his head. Karofsky tossing him into the dumpster everyday of freshman year; Karofsky tossing ice cold slushies into his face, the ice almost too cold to bear. Karofsky laughing at him right in front of his face when a tear accidentally escaped from his chocolate eyes; and the worst one, Karofsky from that infamous night, laughing as Austin doubled over in pain barely able to breathe. At that moment he couldn't take it anymore. He put the gun right against Karofsky's head. He watched with satisfaction as the jock trembled at the feeling of the cold metal against his scalp.

Austin looked deep into Karaofksy's eyes and saw that they were big and terrified. "Are you scared big man?" Austin asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Karofsky nodded, his body not allowing any sound to escape his mouth. "Good, now you know how I feel every day. Now you know the pain you have caused me." He could see a hint of regret in Karofsky's eyes but he knew that it was only because he was about to die. If Austin had never done this, Karofsky would never learn to regret his actions.

Austin took one more deep breath before closing his eyes, his finger pulling back the trigger. There was a loud Bang! and suddenly Austin was thrown back a foot or two, the force of the gun too much for his tiny physique.

At that moment the kids in the class became hysterical, many of them covered with Karaofsky's blood. They began to run and scream and do whatever it took to escape this classroom of horror. Austin was so enthralled at the sight of Karaofsky's body on the floor, half his head was gone and his body lay mangled, that he did not hear the scream of students or the sound of their hurried footsteps as they ran out the door. He did not want them anyway. The person he had set out to destroy had been destroyed. _One down, three more to go. _

X-X-X-X-X

"Another time, from the top!" Will Schuster yelled to his glee kids. He heard a couple of moans but chose to ignore them; they were only a week away from Regionals and had three new numbers to learn. He decided they were going to do a Journey medley, which meant learning three new numbers instead of using three they had already come up with. Will was still not completely confident in this idea. _Was a week enough time_? He found himself wondering. He forced himself to push the thought aside. Whether it was enough time or not he had made his decision and it was final.

"Mr. Schue, I think I need to sit this one out," Quinn said between loud breaths. She was still having her random back spasms and she hoped they would go away soon; they were really starting to become a nuisance.

Will took one look at the teenager standing before him and knew he couldn't say no. She was eight months pregnant and every day she seemed to become more and more tired. He couldn't deny her a break out of fear for her health and the baby's. He then looked around at the pool of teenagers who were getting back into their starting positions. They all seemed to be as tired as Quinn, sweat pouring down their young faces. Will sighed. "Alright everyone go ahead and take five," he said giving in; they were only kids after all and he figured they must have been pretty tired considering Rachel Berry, the clubs most talented and ambitious performer, did not even object to having a break. He watched as the kids broke off to form their own little groups.

Artie Abrams and his new girlfriend, Tina Cohen-Chang, were sitting in one corner, whispering and giggling amongst themselves. Artie was bound to a wheelchair and Tina sat on his lap her arms wrapped lovingly around his neck. Will smiled, he remembered when he had been in that stage with his ex-wife; _when you first start dating and it seems as if there's nothing in world but the two of you, _he reminded himself wistfully.

Will then looked over to the piano where he found Rachel and the leading male, Finn Hudson. Rachel was sternly correcting him for the vocal mistakes he had made during the last routine. Finn nodded at her, trying his hardest to pretend he was listening. Sometimes Will didn't even know why he bothered to teach glee when he knew Rachel would be perfectly capable of doing it on her own.

He looked to another corner where he found Kurt and Mercedes happily discussing the latest fashion trends.

Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez, two best friends who seemed to Will inseparable, were laughing and flirting with Mike Chang and Matt Rutherford, also best friends with whom Will rarely saw apart.

And then there was Quinn sitting across from her baby's daddy, Puck. They were quietly arguing back and forth. Will knew it was about what they would do in a month when the baby was born. It was a constant fight between the two that seemed never ending. Quinn was dead set on giving the baby up for adoption, wanting desperately for her life to go back to normal, but Puck tried everything in his power to get her to change his mind, but to no avail. Will knew Quinn was a stubborn girl and was used to getting what she wanted.

Will looked at the kids one more time before deciding they looked rested enough. "Okay everyone break's over," he said clapping his hands together and smiling at them. The kids fumbled out of their chairs and walked to the center of the classroom where they rehearsed their routines.

"Are you okay to keep going?" he asked Quinn as she made her way to the floor.

She nodded, "Yea I'll be fine." Mr. Schuster gave her a reassuring smile before turning to the piano man and giving him his queue to start the music. The piano started to play and everyone in the room fell into step. The sweet and amazingly talented voice of Rachel Berry and the soft, husky voice of Finn Hudson were echoing throughout the room as everyone danced around and occasionally joined in the singing when it was appropriate. Everyone was so into the music they almost didn't hear a loud bang that sounded throughout the whole school. Suddenly the music stopped and everyone froze where they were.

"Was that…was that a gun?" Tina asked so quietly no one would have been able to hear her if it weren't so silent already. No one wanted to answer. Everyone sat in silence, not really sure of what to do. They soon heard a masculine voice with a thick Indian accent over the loud speaker, which they knew to be Principal Figgins.

"Code red, this is not a drill. The school is on lockdown. I need everyone to stay where they are and go through appropriate lockdown procedures. No one moves until further instructed." Everyone stood where they were, paralyzed with a mix of fear and shock. There was a shooter inside their school and no one was safe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, wow, I'm so happy with the feedback I've been getting for this story! You all are amazing! Please keep it up :)**

**Once again thanks to my beta Scarlett88 for being the amazing person she is!**

**I know i usually update within three days but that would put the update on Thanksgiving and i know everyone will be busy, myself included, so I'm going to have to be mean and say the next update won't be until Friday.**

**Enjoy the next chapter and remember to review on here or tumblr (links on my profile page!)**

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Chapter Three

After a few minutes of endlessly staring at Karofsky's dead and bloody body Austin forced himself to look away. He smiled at the fact that Karofsky would never throw another slushie into his face or toss him into another dumpster. He put the gun back into his pocket as he walked out of the classroom door. The hallways were completely deserted by now. Principal Figgins had heard the gun shots and the people screaming and had put the school on lockdown, which meant no one was to leave. His plan was still falling perfectly into place.

He walked down the hall, taking in the quietness and tranquility. He had never been in the school when it was so quiet. He continued down the hall and took a right before he finally reached the classroom he wanted. He looked inside the window on the door and saw the lights were off and there was no one in sight. He chuckled to himself. _How stupid did they think he was? _Obviously they were hiding from him, the shooter.

Austin never understood why they practiced their lock down drill in case someone, like him, decided to come in and shoot the place up. Obviously whoever that student is knows the whole lock down routine anyway. It seemed kind of pointless to him.

He turned to the door and sighed, knowing it was locked. Luckily the school was on a very strict budget and hadn't gotten new doors in like fifty years so he knew it wouldn't be very hard to kick down. He took a step back and with all his might he kicked the door. It didn't open yet so he tried again. Still nothing happened. _Why did this always seem so much easier on TV? _It only took two more kicks before the door went flying off its hinge and slammed against the wall. He heard a couple gasps come from the teens in the room and his stomach bubbled with excitement. He stepped inside the room and looked at the wall against the chalkboard. There was a group of about thirty students sitting under the board, huddled together and full of fear.

Austin gave them a malicious smile before walking over to where they were sitting. Everyone just stared at him with big, helpless eyes. They knew there was nothing they could do about their situation.

Austin bent down in front of his next target, Nathan Azimio. "Hey tough guy," he said, "not so tough anymore are you." He was so close to the black boy in front of him now he could feel Azimio's breath. Azimio watched with horror as Austin pulled the black, polished gun out of his sweatshirt pocket.

"Look man, I'm sorry," Azimio said, his voice trembling with fear. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I did, but please man, don't do this." Austin watched with satisfaction as a tear rolled down the boy's chocolate skin. Once again he knew Azimio was only apologizing because he had a gun to his head.

"I think I do," Austin said standing up, fully aware that every eye in the room was on him. "You see, eight months ago I promised myself I was going to get revenge on you and your Neanderthal friends for what you did to me that night at Quinn Fabray's party and every other time you messed with me. I let you push me around for too long and now its my turn to have a little fun."

"I'm so sorry man," Azimio said as more and more tears fell down his face. "Please don't do this, you can't do this."

"Oh I can't can I?" Austin asked. "Why don't you ask your friend Karaofksy? Oh wait you can't because I shot him!" Azimio had a look of utter horror on his face at the prospect of his friend's death. He began crying hysterically now, not even caring if other people could see him.

"Please, please," he begged, trying to think of something to say, anything to say to get him out of this mess. Austin knelt in front of him again and put the gun against the boy's head. He shuddered, just like Karaofsky had. Austin watched as everyone close to Azimio began to scoot away, making sure they weren't in the line of fire. No one objected or said a word, in fear of being the next victim. Austin knew no one would say anything. No one ever said anything when he was bullied and teased, why should this be any different?

He gave Azimio one more smile, before pulling the trigger back. There was another loud bang! and another batch of screams from the crowd. Austin watched in satisfaction as Azimio's body slid down the wall and onto the cold, linoleum floor.

This time was different because no one could run out of the classroom, the school was on lock down after all and they didn't know if he was the only shooter. He watched as the other kids in the classroom began to cry or vomit at the sight of Azimio's dead body. He stared at the body for a few more minutes. After he was satisfied with his job he turned around and headed towards the door. He turned around and gave the classroom full of terrified students a wicked grin before continuing out of the class. _Two down, two to go._

X-X-X-X-X

Mr. Schuster was the first to brake from his trance. He was the teacher; he was in charge and he had to stay calm for these kids. He ran over and shut the door and turned the knob to make sure it was locked. He then shut off the lights and turned to face the kids.

"We need to go and sit in the corner of the classroom so the shooter can't see us," he explained as he ushered the still petrified kids to the lower left corner of the classroom, out of the way of the window in the door.

He made sure all the kids were out of sight before joining them on the floor. By this time panic had set over all the kids' faces and many of the girls began to cry. He watched as Puck pulled Quinn into his arms, both their hands on her stomach protectively. Rachel then snuggled into Finn's chest, tears falling from her eyes. Tina took Artie's hand into hers; Brittany and Santana intertwined their pinkies. All this made Will's mind wonder to Emma. He hadn't talked to her since she called him a man-whore a couple weeks ago but he knew he still had feelings for the redhead and couldn't help but worry about her safety. He had no idea where the gunman was in the school or who he was after and this worried Will more than anything else.

They sat in silence for ten minutes, no one wanting to speak in fear that the gunman would hear them. Finally everyone heard the quiet, shaky voice of Tina. "Who…who do you think it is?" she whispered.

Everyone shook their head and racked their brains, trying to think of someone who would do this. _Who in this school was so miserable they thought their only way out was to bring a gun to school and start shooting the place up? _

Before anyone had a chance to answer they were all startled by another round of gun shots echoing throughout the school. The girls flinched as they gripped the boys harder.

"Why is this happening?" Quinn sobbed. Suddenly she was hit by another spasm but this time it was different; it was more painful and it lasted longer. She had never felt such pain in her life and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to scream out in pain.

"Are you okay?" Puck asked the blonde when he felt her squeeze his arm with all her might.

Finally the pain was over and Quinn was able to breathe again. "Yea I've just been getting these weird pains in my back and stomach all day and they just seem to be getting more and more painful," she explained. Everyone looked at her with worry in their eyes but she just shook her head, telling them she was fine.

"How long do you think it will take the police to get him?" Finn wondered, pulling everyone back into reality. "I mean we can't just stay in this choir room forever." Everyone shook their heads, not wanting to think about the fact that they could be trapped in this choir room for hours until the shooter was caught.

"I was watching _Dateline_ once and it was about a school shooting," Rachel started. "It was talking about how the police don't just barge into the school to take down the shooters; it's too risky with all the kids inside. They have to get the blueprints of the school and formulate a plan before they can do anything- which means we can be in here for hours."

"I don't think I can stand being in here for hours," Mercedes said, her arms intertwined with her best friend Kurt's. "Knowing there's a shooter in here and just sitting around all helpless scares the shit out of me."

"We're all scared," Kurt said patting her arms.

"But it's not going to do us any good to think about it," Finn chimed in. "We need to take our minds off of everything before we drive ourselves crazy."

"What should we talk about?" Rachel wondered, her voice still shaky.

Finn thought for a second. "We can talk about Regionals," he suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement. The girls wiped their eyes, trying their hardest to stop crying and thinking about the predicament they were in.

"Well I absolutely love Mr. Schuster's idea of a Journey medley for Regionals," Rachel said quietly. "I think it will be very different from what everyone else is doing and even though we haven't had a lot of time to practice and learn the routines, I think we'll be fine. I mean just think of Sectionals and we had even less time then." Everyone nodded in agreement.

It was silent for another minute or two before another sharp pain pierced Quinn's body and she winced in pain. Like the last time it was even more painful than the one before. Quinn quickly grabbed Puck's arm again and squeezed even harder this time. He furrowed his brow at her and gave her a curious look.

"Quinn, are you okay?" Mr. Schuster asked, seeing the pain on the teenage girl's face.

"Yes just another pain in my back," she answered. "I'm fine."

Mr. Schuster didn't look convinced. He stared at her, processing the information she had given him and once he saw the clear, liquidly fluid flow out between her legs he immediately knew what was happening.

"Quinn I think you're in labor and your water just broke."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed last chapter! It wasnt quite as much as the chapters before so i hope more of you decide to review! 10 reviews and ill update within three days!**

**Happy Thanksgiving yesterday to all of you who celebrate it! Im thankful this year for you all, all my readers, for making me so happy with your reviews and alerts!**

**Here the next chapter so enjoy and review after!**

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Chapter Four

Richard Grazer believed he had the easiest job in Lima, Ohio; he was the local detective. There was not that much crime in this small town. He had the usual break ins and occasionally a drunken bar fight gone wrong. On average there was one murder a year and nine times out of ten he could get a confession out of the culprit.

That's why on Friday May 20, 2010 Richard was surprised when he was awoken by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He opened it up to see he had 10 missed calls. _Crap. _He called back the number he recognized as the police station.

"Where the hell have you been?" he heard his boss, Lydia Davis, say.

"I've been sleeping," he said wiping the last of sleep from his eyes.

"You need to get over to McKinley right away," she said. Her usually sweet voice was full of panic and he felt a lump form in his stomach.

"What's going on?" he asked matching her panic.

"Someone's got a gun inside the school." He gasped. Stuff like this didn't happen in Lima, Ohio. This was the kind of thing you heard on the news about big cities and crime but not in a place like Lima.

He hung up the phone right away. He didn't even want to waste time taking a shower so he just got dressed and made sure to put extra deodorant on. Once he was ready he grabbed his keys and ran out to his car. He made sure to put the siren on so no one would get in his way as he sped to William McKinley High School.

When Rick arrived in the parking lot he jumped out of his car and ran to the front of the school where most of the police force and swat team had already gathered.

"Oh Rick, there you are," said the police chief, Dan Henderson as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Yea…sorry I'm late," he apologized. "Now what's going on?"

"Some kid brought a gun to school today," he started. "From what I hear he's already shot two kids and is still inside." Rick couldn't believe it. He was hoping when he got here they would tell him it was some kind of practical joke and no one really had a gun inside. That this was all just a belated April Fool's Day joke or something.

"Do we know who it is?" he wondered.

"Only a few students managed to escape before the school went on lockdown. They're sitting over there," Dan said pointing to a group of crying students sitting on the front steps. "We haven't gotten a chance to talk to them. We were waiting for you." Rick nodded as he made his way over to the group of students.

"Hello, I'm detective Rick Grazer," he said, showing them his badge. "I was wondering if I could talk to you all about what's going on inside." He watched as they all nodded their heads, hesitantly.

"Did any of you see the shooter?" he asked, careful to keep his voice gentle and calm. These kids had obviously been through a lot and were scared out of their minds.

"We…we all did," said a small girl with long brunette hair. "He barged into our classroom and p…pulled out his gun. He was all hysterical and yelling and then he…he," she gulped, not wanting to say the words. "He shot Dave Karaofsky." The girl began to cry so uncontrollably she couldn't speak anymore.

"Do any of you know his name?" Rick wondered.

"Austin Jameson," answered the redheaded boy sitting behind the crying girl; he was rubbing her back soothingly.

"How did you all manage to get out of the school?" Rick asked. He was curious as to why these were the only kids who had managed to escape.

"After he s…shot Karaofsky we all got up and ran," the redhead answered. "It wasn't until after we made it out of the school that it went on lockdown."

Rick nodded. "Thanks for your time. I'll be back if I have any more questions." The kids nodded as they continued to cry. He took one more sympathetic look at the group of teenagers before going back to join the other officers.

"So what's the plan?" he asked Dan.

"We don't know yet," Dan said shaking his head. "If we go in we know it will scare him and he may end up shooting more kids."

Rick shook his head in disgust. "We've got to figure out where he is in the school," Rick said. "That's the only way we'll know how to enter." Rick knew that would be easier said than done, but what other choice did he have? He had to get the kids inside that school to safety before anyone else got hurt.

"We're going to need blueprints of the school to see if there are any entrances we could use that he wouldn't know about. We also need to get a helicopter and see if they can locate where the shooter is inside the school. If we can locate him we may be able to evacuate the other side of the school and figure out a plan," Rick said. He looked at Dan and the team of officers who were standing there, listening to him speak. "Well don't just stand there," he said. "Go." Everyone nodded as they quickly dispersed to do their job.

Yes, Rick knew this wasn't going to be easy, but one more look at the crying teens on the steps and he knew he had to get their friends out safe, no matter what.

X-X-X-X-X

"Quinn I think you're in labor and your water just broke," Quinn heard Mr. Schuster say and she immediately froze. She couldn't be in labor she still had four weeks until her due date.

Quinn shook her head. "No, no I can't be." She looked around to see Puck's face in total shock. He wrapped her tighter inside his arms and she began to cry hysterically.

"I know we're all scared Quinn, but did you really just pee yourself?" Brittany asked(she had always been a little slow).

"No B, Quinn's having her baby," Santana explained.

"Ohh," Brittany said nodding her head.

"No this can't be happening!" Quinn yelled forgetting there was a shooter inside the school and they were supposed to be quiet. She was soon reminded by the sound of more gunshots. Everyone froze again.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Quinn said rocking back and forth in Puck's arms. He was still so shocked he hadn't even spoken a word.

Finally Rachel said the thing everyone had noticed but no one wanted to say out loud. "Those shots sounded closer," she whispered through her quiet sobs. Everyone's minds went back to the shooter inside the school, momentarily forgetting Quinn had started having contractions.

"What if he tries to come in here?" Tina mumbled.

"That's not going to happen," Mr. Schuster said trying not just to reassure the club but also himself. How could such a good day turn into this?

"You don't know that," Tina cried.

"We won't let anyone hurt any of you," Finn said.

"Yea," Puck agreed giving Quinn's arm a gentle squeeze. "No one in here is going to get hurt." Everyone nodded, knowing Puck and Finn would do anything to protect the club. Just last week they had slashed the tires of all the Range Rovers belonging to the kids on their rival team after they egged Rachel. Everyone went silent again, not knowing what to do.

Quinn was brought back to her own reality when she experienced another contraction and biting down on Puck's arm was all she could do to keep herself from screaming out in pain. Puck ignored the pain from her bite, figuring it was nothing compared to what she was feeling. He didn't really know what to do so he gently rubbed her back, hoping it could help her in some way.

"Not now baby, please not now," Quinn cried as she rubbed her swollen stomach. "You can't do this right now. Can't you just wait one more day?"

Everyone sat and helplessly watched Quinn's pain.

Puck looked at the clock trying to figure out how far apart her contractions were. "We need to get her to the hospital," he said anxiously. "Her contractions are already six minutes apart."

"We can't….we can't leave this classroom it's too unsafe," Mr. Schuster said shaking his head. He racked his brain trying to figure out what he should do. He must've missed the class in school on what to do if there's a shooter in your school and a girl in your class suddenly goes into labor.

Puck scrunched his hand into a fist in anger and punched the floor. "Why the fuck is this happening?" he wanted to yell but knowing he couldn't he whispered it as loud as he could. Quinn began to cry even more. She tried not to, knowing all this added stress was not good for the baby, but she couldn't help it. This was not how everything was supposed to go. Puck and she had not even decided what they were officially going to do with the baby, thinking they still had another month to figure it out.

Quinn felt someone grab her left hand. She looked over to see Mercedes had moved to her side. She gave her hand a light squeeze to tell her new friend she was there for her.

"It's going to be okay," Mercedes whispered to her as she wiped a stray hair out of Quinn's eyes. "We're all going to get through this." Everyone nodded as they moved closer to the hysterical blonde and in a matter of seconds the whole entire club was huddled together as close as they could get in a hug. Quinn and Puck were in the middle and everyone else around the sides. No one moved from this embrace, the closeness making everyone feel safer somehow.

Another contraction hit Quinn; they seemed to get longer and more painful each time. Quinn put her head against Puck's chest and allowed herself to yelp in pain, his shirt muffling the sound. She squeezed Mercedes' hand so hard Mercedes thought it might fall off, but she didn't say anything.

"Just breath, Q," Puck said as soothing as he could. "Like we learned in class. Hee Hee Hoo Hoo."

Quinn tried but her breathing had become too erratic. "It hurts…so…much," she said through forced breaths.

"I know baby but it'll pass," Puck said as he continued to rub her back. Finally the contraction was over and Quinn relaxed into Puck's arms, sweat beginning to fall down her pale face. She knew this was less than the ideal situation to give birth in but at least she was surrounded by people she loved and who loved her back.


	5. Chapter 5

**As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed! You all never seize to amaze me with your kind words.**

**There is only two more chapters and an epilogue left after this! Oh, no whats going to happen? You'll have to wait and see ;)**

**Enjoy this next chapter and remember to review on here or tumblr (links of my profile)!**

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Chapter Five

After Austin left Azimio's classroom he, again, walked down the quiet hallway. He was so used to people bumping into him or stepping on him as he went down the hall that it was almost weird to be walking down it alone. At least he was used to being alone. His whole life he had been a loner. He was an only child and he was dirt poor, which made kids not want to be his friend. His parents were drunks who couldn't even remember his name half the time. Growing up he spent endless hours in his room listening to music and just thinking about all the horrible things people did to him. In his mind he never really had a chance. With the family he was born into and the way he was raised, he never had a chance in hell of being cool or popular or even having friends at all. He had successfully convinced himself that it was everyone else's fault he was so miserable and lonely, not his. Everyone else needed to pay for how his life at turned out and he was making sure that happened.

Before Austin knew it he was walking through the silent cafeteria. It was nice and clean, ready to be dirtied up by hungry teenagers, and best of all it was empty. Austin sat in this cafeteria one time for lunch the whole two years he had been going to McKinley. It was his first day of school and he mistakenly sat down next to Azimio and Karaofsky, thinking nothing of it because he was a freshman and it was his first day of school after all. Let's just say that afternoon Austin got his first slushie facial ever. The young boy couldn't help but smile as the pictures of the dead boys raced through his mind. They got what was coming to them. They were gone forever. They would never throw another ice, cold slushie into his face or stick his head into a toilet or toss him into a dumpster. Those days were finally over…well, not quite yet. He still had two people to go after all.

Austin decided he felt like torturing the kids inside the building a little more so he pulled the gun out of his pocket and began shooting randomly throughout the cafeteria. He laughed as he felt the force of the barrel in his hands, remembering that feeling minutes earlier when he had taken his second life.

He looked at his watch and was shocked to realize he had been in the cafeteria reminiscing for thirty minutes. This put him behind schedule but what did that matter? When he thought about it he really had all the time in the world. He knew the police weren't going to risk coming inside and until he surrendered and decided to end this whole thing. He was the master of time and he loved the control. Control was something he rarely had and when it came his way he always seized the opportunity.

He exited the cafeteria and continued down the hall to his desired destination where his next two victims would be. How convenient was it that they had this class together. Really, it just made everything easier.

As he walked down the hall he looked into each door, seeing darkness and hearing nothing but his own, loud heartbeat. He knew the students and teachers were in there but lucky for them he was not after them and for now, they were safe.

Finally, he arrived at his desired classroom. Taking a deep breath, he felt he was able to continue his mission.

X-X-X-X-X

Quinn had just finished another long and painful contraction and was silently crying into Puck's shirt.

"I can't take seeing her like this anymore," Puck said in frustration. "There has to be something we can do."

"It would really help if we could get a cold rag to put on her forehead but we don't have any water," Mercedes said sadly.

"All I want is that damn medicine they give you at the hospital so you don't feel anything," Quinn sobbed. She was still rubbing her belly in small circles silently begging her baby to stay in for as long as possible. She was not going to have a baby in these circumstances, it was just insane.

"Oh, well I keep some in my pocket," Kurt said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"This is not time for sarcasm, Hummel," Puck said angrily. Kurt put his hands up in apology knowing not everyone understood his sense of humor.

"Oh, God," Quinn mumbled as she felt the beginnings of another contraction.

"Crap four minutes now," Puck said, looking at the clock. "Why the hell is this going so fast isn't it supposed to takes hours or even days? It hasn't even been a fucking hour!"

"When I thought Terri was pregnant I was reading a baby book and I came across something that said added stress can make labor progress faster," Will added to diffuse Puck's nerves.

"Baby, you need to stop being so stressed," Puck said, continuing to gently rub his girlfriend's back.

"Okay I'll try not to be stressed about the fact that I'm trapped in this room, having a baby while there's a crazy ass gunman somewhere in the school!" Quinn yelled. Everyone began to shush her and before she knew it Mercedes' chocolate hand was covering her mouth.

"We just have to think about something else," Mercedes suggested, but before anyone could suggest something to talk about there was a loud noise at the door that sounded as if someone was trying to get in. Everyone's eyes were glued to the door. The noise went away but a few seconds later they heard it again. Everyone held their breaths as it happened again, but this time the door flew open, practically coming off its hinges.

There, in the doorway, stood Austin Jameson with a wicked grin on his face. He watched as everyone's eyes went from confusion to utter shock when they realized why he was barging into their room.

"Oh God," he heard Rachel Berry say, which only strengthened his grin. He shut the door behind him and slowly walked over to the right side of the classroom, where the group was huddled.

He grinned at them again before pulling out his gun. "You all better do as I say and I won't hurt all of you."

He was thrown off guard a bit when he heard his ex-crush, Quinn Fabray, let out a loud, high pitched, and painful shriek. She was grabbing her swollen stomach and panic was on every inch on her pale face.

"Please, man, she went into labor. We have to get her to the hospital," Puck begged. He was about to stand up to plead with the gunman but Austin was quick to react. He pointed the gun right at the jock.

"Don't get up or I'll shoot you." Puck's face fell as he sat back down, once again taking his girlfriend's hand into his own. He knew the girl was in pain just by the look on her face. All he knew about birth was what he was forced to watch a video about it in health class and seeing the girl give birth was probably one of the most grotesque things he had ever seen (before today that is), but he could tell those girls were in pain.

He silently began to freak out inside his head. He was supposed to come in here, shoot the two he planned on shooting, and be done with it, but this changed everything.

"Here's what's going to happen," Austin said. He hadn't noticed until now that the hand that was holding the gun had begun to shake. "I want Puck and Finn to stand up and join me on this side of the room."

"I can't… I won't leave her," Puck said shaking his head and holding his girlfriend tighter against his body.

"Do it or I'll shoot her," Austin said. His eyes told Puck he wasn't playing around. He looked down at the trembling girl in his arms and she weakly nodded for him to do as he was told. Finn did the same with Rachel. Both boys reluctantly stood up and walked over to the left side of the classroom.

Mercedes and Rachel were immediately at Quinn's side. Quinn took a shaky hand from each girl as the three of them continued to cry.

Neither boy could look Austin in the eyes as they approached. He knew they knew what this was about and why he had specifically chosen them. Austin began to absentmindedly pace back and forth in front of the two boys. He was arguing with himself in his mind of what would happen next. _Will I shoot the two boys as originally planned or will I shoot the girls they love for revenge?_ But if Austin did the latter, he knew that would mean killing an innocent baby and he didn't know if he could do that.

"Look, man, you don't have to do this," Finn finally said, stopping Austin in his tracks.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Austin asked. "I mean if I didn't have to do this do you think I would be doing it? I'm not some kind of sick psychopath that enjoys watching people die, not unless those people deserve it that is."

"They don't deserve to die," he heard Mr. Schuster say. "No one deserves to die, Austin. Now can't we just talk about this calmly and without the gun?"

Austin shook his head at the teacher. "No, no they do. The way they pick on me and all the other kids in this school. They deserve to be punished."

"But death?" Mr. Schuster said. "Do you really think death is the only answer? The only way they can be punished?"

"It's the only way they will listen to me!" Austin yelled. Tears trickled in the back of his eyes but he made sure they didn't fall. He didn't need to give these boys any more reasons to mock him. "If I didn't have this gun then the day would have gone on as normal and my face would probably be in a toilet right now!"

The intense moment was interrupted by an ear-splitting scream. Everyone looked over to Quinn to find her lying in Mercedes' arms, more pain etched onto her pale face as ever.

The pain was so great that Quinn felt like she was going to vomit. She willed herself not to because she was so close to everyone that if she did she knew it would get on them. She closed her eyes and tried to breath as deep as she could, but the pain had become so great she was starting to black out.

"Quinn, Quinn are you alright?" she could hear Rachel and Mercedes ask but she couldn't answer. Her vision was becoming more and more blurred every second and after another minute it was all gone and Quinn was swallowed into darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**As some of you may have noticed i took down chapter 6 and decided to rewrite a few parts. Sorry for those of you who hadn't had a chance to read it but at least i got it back up the next day. If you have already read it i suggest just skipping to the second part because i didnt change anything in the first. **

**For those of you who read the earlier chapter when i said Puck "helped pull his baby girl out" i didn't mean he actually like pulled her out, i meant she was was like all the way out and he just kind of helped at the end but if you didnt understand that was my fault, bad writing on my part. **

**Also yesterday was my 17th birthday so as you a present you can leave me a review! On here or tumblr (links on my profile page) and i will be one happy girl! **

**Thanks to my amazingly awesome beta Scarlett88 :)**

**Sorry for any confusion and without further adu here is the rewritten chapter 6! Enjoy :)**

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Chapter Six

Detective Rick Grazer was sitting with his team of police officers at a small table outside the school, looking at the blueprints of the school they had received from the contracting company who had built it. They were trying to strategize a way in when he heard someone talking on his radio.

"Please repeat," Rick said into it.

"I said it is confirmed by the helicopter that the shooter is not in the west wing of the school," the voice said.

"And they're sure?" he asked.

"Yes," the man confirmed.

"Okay," Rick said, "We'll be clearing it as soon as we can."

Rick gathered the swat team together and told them what was going on and showed them the blueprints of the school. They were able to evacuate students in the history, literature, and math classrooms as well as the library and auditorium. When he was absolutely sure everyone knew what they were doing he let them enter the school. Rick decided to enter, too, because there was one classroom in particular he wanted to see.

As he walked through the hallways of the west wing of McKinley high school he saw scared students being let out of their classrooms. Some were crying, some were grabbing on to their friends for dear life, and others were stiff and far-out as if they were still in absolute shock. Each student was exiting as fast as they could without trampling over each other. As he continued down the hall it became quieter and quieter because those students hadn't been evacuated yet. When he got to his desired classroom he was not surprised to find it was the only one with the door open.

Rick had to brace himself for what he saw next. There, on the floor, was the dead and bloody body of Karaofsky. As Rick bent down to look at the kid he was overcome with a wave of emotion. He could still see the fear in the teenager's eyes and he could only imagine what a mess he must have been with a gun held up to his head. For the first time in his career Rick felt the sudden urge to vomit and he made sure to do it facing the other way. Sure as a detective he had seen his fair sure of dead bodies, but this was nothing compared to those.

He couldn't help but feel responsible for this kid's death. What if he had answered the phone faster? He knew it probably wouldn't have made any difference considering no one even knew there was a gunman until he was shot, but that still didn't stop his guilty conscious.

He stood up and punched the wall in anger. Anger this had happened, anger he couldn't have done more to save this kid and any others, and anger because the shooter was still in the school somewhere, probably torturing more students.

When Rick knew he could no longer stay in the room without going crazy, he decided to leave. He found a medical personnel in the hallway and pointed them in the direction of Karaofsky. As he exited the building he passed more petrified students, eager to get out of the school and into safety.

All Rick wanted was a moment alone when he exited the building, but before he was granted that opportunity Dan Henderson, the police chief, came up to him and informed him Austin Jameson's parents were there and he was to go fill them in. Rick sighed and walked over to where the parents were standing.

"What the hell is going on?" Austin's step-dad asked.

"There's been a shooting inside the school," Rick answered. He was surprised when he didn't see an ounce of worry in either parent's eyes.

"Was Austin shot?" Austin's mom asked, not with worry but in a matter-of-fact way. "I always knew that boy was going to get himself shot one day; he's nothing but trouble."

Rick had to take a second to recompose himself after the shock of what Austin's mother had just said. He took a second to look them over. Both adults were wearing ragged clothing and Rick could tell neither of them looked in a mirror that morning when they got ready. Austin's mom's brown hair was long and matted, while his step-dad's hair was kept in a perfect mullet. Both parents had the stench of alcohol on their breath and they each looked as if they had an ever-lasting hangover.

"No," Rick said shaking his head. "Austin wasn't shot; however, he is the one doing the shooting."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Austin's step-dad shrugged. "He's always been a dark kid that way. No wonder he's bullied."

Rick shook his head. "Well, its standard procedure we let the parents of the shooter know."

"Thanks for telling us," Austin's mom said. "But can we go? We've got some stuff to get done today."

Rick really wasn't expecting that. "Uh, yes, I guess so," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Both parents nodded before walking off towards their beat-up truck together.

Rick had to take a moment to digest what had just happened. He had expected any reaction but the one that had just played out before him. He expected for the mom to drop on the ground in hysterics and for the dad to become mad and punch a car. He expected them to cry out in disbelief that their son would do such a horrible thing, but that was the exact opposite of what actually happened. He finally got insight into why Austin was the way he was and it didn't surprise Rick one bit that the kind turned out rotten with parents like that, but for the first time he felt sorry for the kid inside with the gun and he didn't like that one bit.

X-X-X-X-X

When Quinn passed out, all hell broke loose inside the choir room. Mercedes and Rachel were desperately doing anything they could think of to get Quinn to come back to consciousness, while Puck began yelling Quinn's name, not able to move to where she was lying because Austin had the gun pointed at his face.

"Please man, please let her to go the hospital," Puck begged, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Can't you see she could die? That the baby could die?" Puck made a step towards Quinn, but Austin just put the gun closer to his face, his hands shaking now.

"Are you really going to shoot me if I go over there and help her?" Puck asked. "Because I don't think you'll do it."

"Don't push me," Austin warned, "I've already shot two people; I have no problems with another."

"Please," Puck begged. "I love her."

Austin didn't know what to do. He didn't want Quinn or her baby to die, but he had a plan, a mission that needed to be carried out. For months he had planned this day over and over in his head trying to think of the possible obstacles that he could run into, but this…this he didn't anticipate.

Austin sighed. "Go," he said as he pointed his gun-free hand to where Quinn was lying on the floor. Puck ran to where she was and Austin swore he had never seen anyone run so fast in his life.

When Austin turned around he noticed Finn was trying to sneak back to the group, too. "I didn't give you permission, too!" he yelled and Finn immediately went back to his former spot.

When Puck reached Quinn, Mercedes and Rachel immediately let go of the blonde and let Puck take over. "Quinn, Quinn wake up," he said gently shaking the girl. He really needed some water to pour on her or something but there wasn't anything in the room and he was certain Austin wouldn't let him leave to get some.

"Please Quinn wake up," he said as tears pricked his eyes. "Do it for the baby, do it for me." He shook her another time and one of her eyes opened, followed by the other. Puck let out a huge breath he didn't know he was holding in and brought Quinn close to his chest to hug her.

"Wha…What's going on?" she asked, confused.

"Quinn, you've gone into labor," Puck explained.

"Well then why aren't we at the hospital?" she asked. Puck gave her a curious look. Quinn looked over her shoulder and saw the rest of the glee club huddled together around them and she suddenly remembered why they weren't at the hospital. "Oh, God."

"It's going to be okay," Puck said, rocking her back and forth as she began crying. "I need you to calm down, though. All this stress is affecting the baby and making you become weak and pass out. Please, Quinn, calm down."

She nodded her head and tried to steady her breathing, but it was hard not to freak out in the situation she was in. The whole thing only got worse when Quinn was hit with another contraction. She screamed out in pain as she held onto her stomach for dear life.

"Oh, God!" Quinn screamed. "I feel like I have to push!" "What?" Puck asked, panicked. "It hasn't been enough time. Why the hell is this going do damn fast?"

"Like it or not, she's coming," Quinn answered.

"I guess we have no choice but to deliver her here," Mr. Schuster said. "We're all going to have to help."

Tina raised her hand. "I get queasy when I see blood."

"That's okay," Mr. Schuster answered, "You can sit behind Quinn and keep her propped up." Tina still didn't look sure, but she took Puck's position behind Quinn anyway. Rachel and Mercedes each took a leg and held it in the air, so it would be easier for the baby to come out and Puck stood in front of her to catch the baby when it did.

"Never thought I'd get to do this again," Puck smirked as he took off Quinn's panties. Mercedes smacked him for Quinn because she was in too much pain to even notice his comment or to be embarrassed about the fact that almost the whole glee club was now looking at her private area.

Another contraction hit and Quinn started to push. Everyone who didn't have an assigned job helped with encouragement and Puck helped her through with the breathing exercises.

Finn just sat back and watched helplessly as Austin continued to point the gun at him. He could see Austin was now pacing back and forth, his face paler than before.

"You alright?" Finn asked, although he wasn't quite sure why he had just asked the man who had a gun pointed at his head if he was alright.

"What do you care?" Austin retorted.

"You just…you look kind of pale," Finn shrugged.

"Yea, well, I don't really enjoy watching women give birth," Austin answered with hostility.

"Then why are you looking?" Finn chuckled.

Austin was so confused as to why Finn was being so nice to him; he was pointing a gun at the man's head after all! For a split second he felt bad about what he was going to do to Finn, but then he remembered that fateful night and all the regret washed out of his body.

"Yea right like I'm going to turn around," Austin snorted. "What? So you guys can sneak up on me from behind? Please." Finn just shrugged and went back to watching the scene.

Quinn's face was now bright red and there were drops of sweat beading down her forehead. The sweat was mixed with tears as they all dripped down her face. _Why was this happening to her? Hadn't she been through enough this year? _The anger she was feeling allowed her to push through her contractions.

She could hear the chants of her classmates encouraging her through this and she was truly thankful for them. Had they not been there for her this past year she didn't know what she would have done.

And of course there was Puck. Even though she was yelling at him for doing this to her, she really wasn't mad at him; actually, it was the complete opposite. Ever since Finn found out about not being the father, Puck has stepped up 100%. He took her to her doctors appointments and even went to Lamaze class (not that it matters now). She knows how badly he wants to keep this baby, but she knows in her heart she isn't ready. She only hopes that Puck understands because whether she likes it or not, she has fallen for him, and she if she's honest with herself she might even _love_ him.

It took twenty minutes of pushing and yelling before Puck was finally able to see the head. "She has so much hair!" Puck commented.

"GET. HER. OUT!" Quinn yelled.

"She's almost out," Puck encouraged. "Just a couple more pushes."

Two contractions later and Quinn knew she couldn't do anymore, so she gave her biggest push yet. It was enough for the baby to come all the way out, and Puck held her in his hands as it happened. He brought her close to his chest, but after a couple seconds everyone became worried because she wasn't crying.

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**For those of you who read the earlier chapter when i said Puck "helped pull his baby girl out" i didn't mean he actually like pulled her out, i meant she was was like all the way out and he just kind of helped at the end but if you didnt understand that was my fault, bad writing on my part. Sorry for any confusion.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, i want to think everyone for reviewing :)**

**Also my beta Scarlett88!**

**I'm just going to put a disclaimer out there that as you may have noticed i am not expert on giving birth. I have not given birth nor have i seen anyone do that. So just in case there are things in this chapter that aren't entirely correct just go with it, please and thank you :)**

**Here you are, the last chapter! There is going to be an epilogue that has yet to be written. Im starting finals soon so unfortunately it could be up to three weeks before its posted, but if i get lots of reviews i will do everything to try and make time for it! Enjoy!**

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Chapter Seven

"Why…why isn't she crying?" Quinn asked, after a few seconds has passed since she gave birth, and still she hadn't heard the baby cry.

Puck held the new-born baby in his hands, not sure what to do. He could see her tiny face was getting bluer by the second. "What do I do?" he whispered to everyone else, hoping Quinn wouldn't hear. Rachel quickly got up from her spot beside Quinn and joined Puck.

"She could have mucus stuck in her mouth," Rachel explained. She took her cardigan off and began wiping the baby's mouth and sure enough the mucus came out and she began to cry. Quinn began to cry too, thinking it was the most glorious noise she had ever heard, and Puck let out a sigh of relief as he began to lightly cry as well. He had done it; he had delivered his beautiful daughter into the world, and for now at least, she was okay.

Rachel turned to Austin, "I need to go into Mr. Schuster's office to get some scissors to cut the umbilical cord. There are no other doors, so I can't leave."

"Just go," Austin said, obviously still freaked out from everything that had been happening. He began to pace around the door again.

Rachel quickly slipped into Mr. Schue's office and ran to the desk. She got a pair of green scissors off his desk and hurried back into the room. Everyone's eyes were on her as she walked to where her purse was before pulling out a bottle of hand sanitizer.

"This is going to be the cleanest I'm able to get it…under the circumstances," she explained as she carefully rubbed the hand sanitizer over the blades.

"I don't really know where or how I'm supposed to cut this," Rachel confessed as she walked back over to Quinn. The baby was still crying and Puck was rocking back and forth trying to get her to stop.

"I don't know if it matters," Quinn answered. "Just cut it."

Rachel made a face as she bent down and cut it. Puck handed her back her cardigan so she could wipe her hands off on it, and then she applied the hand sanitizer to them.

The baby was still crying and Puck was still trying to get her to stop.

"Make her stop!" Austin yelled. "I can't take the crying anymore!"

"Give her to me," Quinn said, panicked. She propped herself up against the wall and Puck handed her the baby.

"I guess you all have seen enough, this won't make a difference," Quinn said as she pulled down the top of her sundress and unclamped her bra in the front.

"Shhh, Beth, are you hungry?" she soothed. Right after she said it, Quinn realized she had actually called the baby Beth. Puck had picked the name out when he sang a song to her in Glee, weeks ago. Quinn had been refusing to call her that, since she wanted to give the baby up for adoption and naming her would make it that much harder to give her up, but he had been persistent, and when she saw the baby for the first time, she couldn't help but use the name.

It took a bit of coaxing but after a minute or two Beth finally caught on and began to breastfeed, and the crying ceased.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Austin said, his face full of disgust, but Puck couldn't help but notice he kept staring at Quinn. If Austin didn't have a gun in his hand he would've beaten him up. _Wait, no, that's what got me into this mess in the first place. I need to start being nicer to people, _he thought.

Austin finally pulled his eyes away from Quinn. "Puck, I think you can come back over here now," he said. Puck gave him a hesitant look, but Austin pointed the gun at him. He turned around to look at Quinn who had fear written all over her face. He bent down and kissed the top of her head, as well as Beth's.

"I'll be okay," he whispered into her ear. "I love you." He turned around to see Austin still had the gun pointed to him. He sighed before he walked over to the other side of the room and joined Finn.

The rest of the Glee Club, including Mr. Schue, was huddling together against the back wall around Quinn and the baby. It killed Finn and Puck to see tears streaming down everyone's faces, but they had promised they would protect the others and they were going to keep that promise, even if it meant protecting themselves last.

"Alright, stand against the wall," Austin said; neither boy moved. "I said stand against the wall!" he yelled, and this time both boys stood side by side against the wall.

"Good," Austin smiled. "Now, if you just do as I say, this will be as painless as possible…for me anyway."

X-X-X-X-X

Once the West Wing of the school was evacuated it turned into chaos outside. Parents had heard about what was happening on the news and arrived to pick their children up, but it became so crowded no one could find each other.

"Officer Meyer," Rick called to a chubby, middle-aged police officer. Officer Meyer quickly walked over to Rick.

"Yes," the officer said.

"I need you to take a couple of your buddies and herd these teens and parents into the church across the street. Help the parents find their kids and vice versa, and I want them showing ID when they take the kids; I don't want any more accidents today. No kid leaves unless they have a parent. Do you think you can do that for me?" Rick asked.

Officer Meyer nodded, "Right on it, sir."

Meyer joined his group of coworkers and explained to him the plan, and a couple minutes later he was yelling the directions over a megaphone. It took a couple minutes of coaxing, but finally the group of officers was able to get the mob to go across the street and into the church.

Rick was relishing in the quiet, finally able to think for a minute when he heard high-heeled footsteps behind him. He sighed, knowing what was coming.

"Detective, my name is Andrea Carmichael and I'm with WOHN-News on Channel 8, and I wanted to ask you, what exactly is going on inside that school?"

Rick took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger. "I'm sorry Ms. Carmichael, but I would think you would rather me find a way to get all the kids out of the school safely than answer your question. Am I wrong to assume that?"

She shook her head, a little confused.

"Well then why are you talking to me?" he continued. "Every second you have me waste talking to you can be spent saving the lives of the children inside that building. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've already wasted enough precious seconds on you." Rick walked back to the table with the blueprints and the rest of the officers around it. He looked back to see Andrea was still standing where she was, stunned, and he smiled. He had always hated the press, trying to get in his way when he was doing something important. He knew the public had the right to know what was going on in their town, but they always showed up at the worst possible time, and he thought they needed to be taught a lesson, and he felt like he had done just that.

"What are we going to do next?" Dan, the police chief asked Rick, pulling him away from his thoughts.

"Well, it's been confirmed by multiple students that Austin, is in fact, the only shooter. I say our best bet of getting those kids out safely is to quietly go through the East Wing and liberate those who are not in danger, and find those who are," Rick answered.

Dan nodded, "That seems to be our only option at this point."

"We've got to do this quietly, though," Rick explained. "Because if he hears us, he might get freaked out and start shooting everyone, and that's exactly what we don't want to happen."

X-X-X-X-X

There was so much tension in the choir room everyone began to feel choked. Everyone knew why Austin had the two boys standing against the wall, but no one knew what to do to stop him. Will, though, decided that he was the adult in this room, and he was the one who needed to stop this.

"Austin," he said as he stood up. Austin turned around and pointed the gun right at him. Will put his hands up, to show he meant no harm. "Don't you think we can talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Austin said. His hand began shaking behind the gun. "This is my only way out; I have to do this."

"Austin, do you honestly think killing these kids is worth a lifetime in jail, maybe even death yourself?" Will asked. "You haven't thought about this rationally. You're ruining your life."

"You don't think I'm not in jail already?" Austin yelled, trying to hold back the tears. "My whole life I've been in jail. I've been picked on for my size, my scrawniness, my 'unmanliness', and why? Just so someone could degrade me to feel good about themselves? No, I'm not doing that anymore. I'M NOT DOING IT!"

"Just hear me out," Will begged as Austin shook the gun at him. He took a little step forward, slowly. "You can stop all this now, you can end it. All you have to do is put down the gun and go quietly."

"I can't," Austin said; tears were now escaping his eyes. He quickly wiped them off with his shaking hands. "I already killed two people. I'm going to jail."

"But if you come out quietly," Will continued; "They will see you are owning up to what you did. They will see you are sorry for killing those two men, and they will lighten your sentence. But this- if you kill two more boys- they will not feel sorry for you. They will do everything they can to make sure you have an even more miserable life than you say you have now."

"I can't keep living this way," Austin cried. "I just wanted them to pay; I wanted them to feel the way I do every day."

"They understand, Austin," Will said. "I'm sure if you asked them they would say they're sorry for what they did."

"Yea, man," Finn said. "Really, if we could take it all back we would." Puck nodded in agreement.

"You're only saying that because I have this gun," Austin cried.

"But don't you see, Austin?" Will asked. "Now they know how much their bullying hurt; they understand what they did to you was wrong. You don't have to do this."

Suddenly noises could be heard down the hall way; accompanied by the sounds of scared teenagers told to be quiet by police officers.

"They're getting closer," Will said. "You don't have much longer to make your choice. Are you coming out of this with your dignity or are you going to ruin your life permanently."

Austin really began to cry now. Tears fell down his face as freely as a waterfall, but there was no point in trying to stop them anymore. "I'm sorry to all of you," he said. "I never meant for any of this to happen, I just wanted them to leave me alone. I wanted my parents to see I'm not worthless and I wanted to show everyone I can be a man. I'm not a monster; I'm just a scared boy who had no other options. I can't do this anymore, I can't live this way. I don't want to live my life in fear anymore, I want to be free, and there's only one way that can happen." Before anyone had time to react Austin put the gun to his scalp and pulled the trigger. At the sound of the gunshot Finn and Puck immediately ran to the group on the floor, who were now huddled together, away from Austin's body, and crying.

Quinn held Beth tight to her chest; she was glad the infant was so young that she wouldn't remember anything that had happened this day. But she knew her, and the rest of the Glee Club, would remember it forever, and that's what scared her the most.

Suddenly the door to the choir room opened and a detective walked in. Everyone turned from facing the wall, to him.

"You're safe," was all he said as he looked down at Austin's dead body. "You're safe now."


	8. Epilogue

**I want to go ahead and thank anyone and everyone who has read this story. I really had a lot of fun writing it, and it may be one of my favorite stories I've ever written and I'm really glad i could share the experience with you. I still can't believe people actually read and enjoy my work, but I'm so, so glad you do!**

**Thanks to my amazing beta Scarlett88 for sticking with me throughout this endeavor. **

**There will be an important author's note at the end so please read it (sorry it's kinda long)! Enjoy this final chapter and please review!**

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Epilogue

Emma Pillsbury was pacing back and forth through her office making sure everything was perfect. It was the first day back to school in the week and a half since the shooting and she was meeting kids in her office to talk. First and foremost on her list were the kids in Glee who spent more than two hours locked inside the choir room with the gunman. Thinking about how traumatized and hurt they were going to be only made Emma pace faster, considering she never thought she was a very good councilor to begin with. _What if she didn't know what to say to them?_

She bent over to check the pencils on her desk, making sure they were all the exact same size and shape when she heard a knock on her office door before it was opened. She looked over to see a hesitant Tina Cohen-Chang walking in.

"Good-morning, Tina," Emma smiled as she stood up and straightened her skirt.

Tina gave her a half-hearted smile back. Emma gestured for her to sit in one of the two open chairs in front of her desk, and she obliged.

"So Tina," Emma said, sitting in her own chair and folding her hands together on the desk. "How have you been this last week and a half?"

"Fine," Tina answered but Emma could tell just by her tone of voice she was lying.

"Are you sure?"

Tina shrugged. "I may have had a few nightmares."

"Have you told anyone?" Emma wondered.

Tina shook her head. Now that Emma looked she noticed the girl was a bit more dreary, if that was even possible. The blue streaks in her hair multiplied by at least two, her clothes were completely black, and she wore an ever-present frown on her tan, Asian skin. It was obvious to Emma before that the teenager was Goth, but now it was like she was making sure it was apparently obvious to everyone.

"Why not?"

"I…I don't know," Tina answered. "I guess I figured everyone else's problems are so much worse than mine that I shouldn't complain."

"Tina, you have been through a very traumatic time and it's perfectly normal to have nightmares about it. Your pain is no less important than anyone else's. But the only way you're going to get them to go away is by talking about them."

Tina nodded. "I know, I just feel silly."

"Well you shouldn't," Emma said. "As a matter of fact I'm sure if you asked the other students in Glee most of them would tell you they're going through the same thing. You're not alone in this, Tina."

"Thanks," Tina said. Suddenly the bell rang signaling the beginning of first period.

Tina stood up and grabbed her book bag. "Thanks for the talk Ms. Pillsbury."

"No problem," she smiled. "And if you ever need someone to talk to about those nightmares just let me know."

Tina nodded and gave her a shy smiled before walking out the door into the sea of rushing teenagers.

X-X-X-X-X

Once Tina was out the door Emma let out a sigh of relief as she slumped back in her chair a little. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all_, she thought.

There was another knock on the door and she let out a faint "come in" before the doors opened and Finn Hudson walked into the room.

"Um, my teacher said you wanted to see me," he said as he awkwardly stepped into her office.

"Yes Finn, please sit down," she said as she once again pointed to the two chairs in front of her desk.

He nodded as he chose one and sat down. He put his hands on his knees and began quickly moving his leg up and down.

"You don't have to be nervous, Finn," Emma smiled at him. "I'm here to help, that's it."

"I, um, I don't know what you want me to say."

"Well, why don't we start with how you've been doing since the shooting?" she suggested.

"Alright, I guess," he answered. "I mean, I finally worked up the courage to ask Rachel to go out with me; she said yes. I just realized life's too short to not give love a try, ya know?"

"That's great, Finn," Emma smiled. "Sometimes it's good to turn a traumatic event into something positive, but that still doesn't erase all the bad memories. How did you feel walking into today; the first day back since the shooting?"

"It was hard at first. I don't know, it's like as I walked towards the building the memories came flooding back, but Rachel was there, holding my hand, and it helped knowing she was going through the same thing, I guess."

"So things with Rachel have been good?" Emma asked.

Finn nodded. "Better than ever, actually."

Emma smiled. "I'm glad."

"Yea, thanks, well, I guess I better get back to class." He stood up and headed towards the door.

"Come back anytime, Finn," Emma said. "My door is always open." He nodded before leaving the room and heading back to class.

X-X-X-X-X

The next person to arrive in Emma's office was Rachel. Emma was kind of surprised at the way Rachel bounced into the room. She knew Rachel had always been a ball of non-stop energy, but she thought considering the circumstances, Rachel would have been a little more mellow.

"Hello Ms. Pillsbury." She smiled her big cheesy grin as she walked into room and took a seat in front of the counselor. "I would just like to start by saying I think it's fantastic that you are talking to the Glee Club today. There are many people in the group who are still having a hard time dealing with everything."

"Like who?" Emma wondered.

"Finn has, I think," Rachel answered.

"I just talked to him and he seems fine. What makes you think he's not okay?"

"He never wants to talk about the shooting," Rachel answered. "I mean he almost died, right there, right in front of my eyes and he won't talk to me about it. I believe it would benefit the both of us if we could talk about it as a couple, but unfortunately I've had no such luck."

"Well, it's still very soon after the shooting," Emma said. "I think he may need some more time to heal before he can talk about it."

"I know," Rachel said, her voice a bit less perky now. "Unfortunately I'm not the most patient person in the world, which can sometimes be a downturn for me. I'm working really hard to fix it."

"That's okay, Rachel. But trust me, when he's ready to talk to you he will."

Rachel nodded.

"But enough about Finn, I want to know how you're doing," Emma suggested.

"I'm fine, just spending all the time I can with Finn. We both decided life it too short, and we want to spend as much time together as we can."

"Now I'm so expert Rachel, but it seems to me that you're spending all your time making sure Finn is okay, but aren't spending anytime to make sure you're okay."

Rachel shook her head. "Really, I'm fine."

"Like you said, your boyfriend almost died right in front of you; it's okay not to be fine."

Suddenly Rachel's face squinted up and she started to cry. Big tears she had been holding in fell down her tan face. "I'm just worried about him all the time. I hate being away from him, even for a minute, because I'm so scared something's going to happen to him. I don't think I could live without him."

"It's okay to be worried after what you've been through, and I know the thought of losing Finn scares you to death, but you can't be by him 24/7 to make sure nothing happens. Finn's a big boy; he can take care of himself."

"I know," Rachel said as she wiped some tears away with her arm. "But I can't help it. Every time I turn around and he's gone my heart beats fast and it's hard to breath and I panic. And a lot of the time he just ran off to get food or something, but I still freak out. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Suddenly there was another knock on the door. "That's probably Puck, his appointment is next. I think we need to talk more about these issues though. Why don't you come visit me tomorrow, and you can come back as long as it takes."

Rachel nodded. "Thanks Ms. Pillsbury." She gathered up her books and walked to the door before opening it to find out it was, in fact, Puck who was waiting to come inside. She gave him a smile, which he returned, before entering the room with his hands in his pocket.

X-X-X-X-X

"Hello, Noah," Emma smiled at the teenage boy as he slugged into the room. "How are you?"

Puck shook his head. "I wish I knew."

"Alright. Why don't you try and tell me everything you're feeling, and we can start from there," Emma suggested.

"I'm tired. I've barely slept at all this past week and a half worrying about Quinn and all. She hasn't been doing very well since we gave up Beth, and I'm starting to wonder if it was the right choice."

_Puck and Quinn were in her hospital room, Quinn lying on the bed and Puck sitting on the edge. Beth was snuggled in Quinn's arms, sleeping. _

"_I guess we have to decide what we're going to do next," Quinn sighed. Puck nodded. _

"_What do you think?" he wondered._

"_Look at us," she said. "Two teenagers, 16 years old, sophomores in high school, and just went through a near-death experience. We have no money to pay for anything she needs, and one of us would have to drop out to take care of her. Neither of us will go to college, and we'll be poor for the rest of our lives. Now is that the kind of life you want her to have?"_

_Puck looked down at his baby girl, sleeping peacefully. She was so innocent and fragile. Someone needed to take care of her, protect her, make the right decision for her because she couldn't do it herself. He brushed back a strand of black hair before sighing; he knew what he had to do to make sure she had the best life possible. "I guess you're right. I just, I don't want her to think I abandoned her, like my dad abandoned me. I wanted to be there for her. I wanted to sneak her candy behind your back, teach her how to ride a bike, let her stay up past her bedtime, hold her when she was sad, and smile with her when she was happy. It's just hard to believe I'm never going to get to do these things with her."_

_Quinn nodded. "I feel the same way, but we can't think of ourselves, we have to think of her." A tear fell down her porcelain cheek and Puck wiped it away with his finger. He leaned in so their foreheads were touching and kissed her gently. Then he bent down and kissed his sleeping baby's cheek. It was still hard for him to digest the fact that he wouldn't get to kiss her everyday for the rest of her life._

"So Quinn hasn't been doing well?" Emma asked, pulling Puck out of his memory and back into reality.

"That's a bit of an understatement," he said. "Until today she hadn't left the house since we returned from the hospital, and she only left today because my mom threatened to send her to a psych ward if she didn't go. Although I've been trying my hardest to get her to eat, I honestly don't think she's eaten anything in a week. She barely even leaves our room, and I can hear her crying every night when she thinks I'm asleep."

"Well, she is coming to talk to me today, so I promise to try and work out some of these issues. Like you, she went through two traumatic, life-changing events in one day, but she doesn't know how to deal with it. She just needs a little help."

"Thanks Ms. Pillsbury," he said. "Because I really just don't even know what to do anymore. I mean, I miss Beth too, so much, and it's hard for me to get out of bed in the morning knowing I won't see her, but I know life has to move one. You can't take things for granted is what I learned. Also, I need to try and be nicer to people. So my days of slushieing people and throwing them into dumpsters are over."

"I'm glad to hear that, Noah," Emma said. "And I will make sure I talk to Quinn. Thanks for coming and talking to me."

Puck nodded as he stood up. He gave her a grateful smile before turning to leave.

X-X-X-X-X

Emma was once again pacing around her office. She looked at the watch on her wrist and saw that Quinn was already ten minutes later for her appointment. She was about to call the office and ask them about it, but before she could there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said and the door opened to reveal a very thin and tired-looking Quinn.

"Hello, Quinn," Emma smiled. "Come sit down." Quinn didn't answer, but she walked over to the chair and took a seat.

It was hard to even look at the former cheerleader. The bags under her eyes were large and dark. Her blonde hair was greasy and pulled into a careless ponytail. She was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and Emma had never seen her in anything less casual than jeans. She had already lost all her baby fat, and maybe even more from her lack of eating. Her eyes were puffy from all the crying she had been doing, and overall she was the biggest mess Emma had ever seen. Emma began to internally panic, wondering if she was equipped to deal with such a mess.

"How are you doing, Quinn?" Emma asked, although she didn't know why. The answer was obvious just looking at the girl.

"Peachy," Quinn said sarcastically.

"Is there anything you would like to talk about?" Emma wondered. "Because I'm here to help you, Quinn. I want to make all this as painless as possible for you."

Quinn didn't answer.

"I know the past week has been the hardest you've ever had to endure," Emma continued, "but I truly believe you can get through it. You are Quinn Fabray, remember?" she asked with a warm smile, hoping to elicit a reaction.

"I don't know what it means to be Quinn Fabray anymore," she answered.

"Why do you think that?"

"Why would I want to be my old self? I was self-centered, mean to everyone, rude, a bitch, and just plain awful. Everyone expects so much out of me still. They expect me to re-join Cheerios, to preach abstinence, to beg my parents for forgiveness, and to go back to being my old self. I'm sick of people expecting something out of me. I've dealt with it my whole life and I'm tried of it."

"Quinn all anyone wants is for you to be happy."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if that's ever going to happen." With that she stood up and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here," Quinn answered before she slammed the door shut. Emma wanted to go after her, but she thought she better not. Everyone has to deal with traumatic situations their own way. Some, like Tina, are selfless and only think of the others that went through it with them. Some, like Finn, like to ignore the fact it ever happened. Yet some, like Rachel, become scared it will happen again and do anything they can to prevent feeling that same hurt. Some, like Puck, like to deal with it and move on. But some, like Quinn, can't handle it and completely break down. Everyone deals with trauma in a different way; years of education had taught Emma that harrowing fact. Now that she had all the puzzle pieces, she was going to have to put them together again; a daunting task she didn't know if she was ready for.

* * *

**First off i know 99% of you will be mad at me for making them give up Beth. Most of you all asked me to have them keep her when you reviewed but that's just not the way I saw the story ending. But if you want to read a story about them keeping Beth you can check out my story "In My Daughter's Eyes" that will be published fairly soon!**

**When I was writing the epilogue an idea for a sequel to this just would not leave my head, so I'm going to let you all decide. When you review this please let me know if you think i should make a sequel. It will be about how Quinn and Puck deal with the aftermath of the shooting and giving up Beth. I'm going to warn you now that Quinn will be pretty messed up, but have no fear Puck will be trying anything he can to get the old Quinn back. So if you think that sounds good, let me know! I will be posting the final decision on my tumblr (links on my profile page) so you can always check that for updates about my stories. If i do end up writing a sequel it won't come out for a while, though, i just have too many other stories, but i once I'm done with "I'll Be There" I'll get right on it, if you vote to have one that is. So sorry for this incredibly long author's note, but please review!**


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